Sunday, October 28, 2007
It's Hallowe'en time, so let's have a scary story....
I'm straying a bit from my normal subject matter today; this post isn't going to be the most political I've ever written. But it does involve politics, and moreover, this is something that all Americans - especially American parents - should know is going on.
As regular readers know, I'm an education student. As of this January, I'll be off for my student teaching semester, and this time next year I'll be teaching social studies somewhere in Alaska if all goes according to plan. I've written a number of times about the questionable teaching practices of professors at the College of Education here, which include publicly belittling white students because of their race and barring male students from entering a discussion on so-called "women's issues". Today, though, it's not professors I'm going to talk about. I'm here to tell you some shocking stories about my fellow students. Because as an insider in the profession, I've met a terrifying number of people I would never allow to teach my own children, and I think others should know just how bad things are.
We've all had that English teacher who didn't seem to know what an adverb was, or didn't know that "there is" is singular and "there are" is plural. That's bad enough. But would you let your kid be taught the English language by someone who can't figure out what the word "antiquated" means? How about someone who admits that she can't understand complex sentences? A man who says "like" an average of every four words (I counted)? Or perhaps a woman who ends nine out of ten sentences with "y'know"?
How would you feel about your kids having a teacher who tells his students that liberalism is the center of the political spectrum? Presents opinions like "it is important to buy locally" as facts? Calls conservative students "stupid" in front of their peers?
But the most sickening incidents I've seen have been in the area of respect for students. From ordinarily reasonable people I've heard "any group of fifteen-year-old guys out late is going to get up to no good". I've been told that the Bill of Rights doesn't apply to citizens under eighteen, and that teenagers don't have the right to privacy. I've seen people who are going to be teaching as early as the beginning of 2008 cackling at the accents of students from Kentucky, and when I stood up to one of them, saying "I suppose if you had that student in your class, you'd be laughing in his face all year", the answer I got was a shrug and a "yes".
You might say these are isolated examples. Well, they are – but the people discussed above represent nearly half of next year's graduates in the Secondary Social Studies Education program, as well as a few people in other education programs I happen to have interacted with. To put it bluntly, my university is going to send a large number of new teachers into the world next year who are unintelligent, disrespectful of their students, unbelievably biased in their teaching, or all three at once. And a number of the rest will simply fall into the current and let it happen.
How's that for a horror story?
As regular readers know, I'm an education student. As of this January, I'll be off for my student teaching semester, and this time next year I'll be teaching social studies somewhere in Alaska if all goes according to plan. I've written a number of times about the questionable teaching practices of professors at the College of Education here, which include publicly belittling white students because of their race and barring male students from entering a discussion on so-called "women's issues". Today, though, it's not professors I'm going to talk about. I'm here to tell you some shocking stories about my fellow students. Because as an insider in the profession, I've met a terrifying number of people I would never allow to teach my own children, and I think others should know just how bad things are.
We've all had that English teacher who didn't seem to know what an adverb was, or didn't know that "there is" is singular and "there are" is plural. That's bad enough. But would you let your kid be taught the English language by someone who can't figure out what the word "antiquated" means? How about someone who admits that she can't understand complex sentences? A man who says "like" an average of every four words (I counted)? Or perhaps a woman who ends nine out of ten sentences with "y'know"?
How would you feel about your kids having a teacher who tells his students that liberalism is the center of the political spectrum? Presents opinions like "it is important to buy locally" as facts? Calls conservative students "stupid" in front of their peers?
But the most sickening incidents I've seen have been in the area of respect for students. From ordinarily reasonable people I've heard "any group of fifteen-year-old guys out late is going to get up to no good". I've been told that the Bill of Rights doesn't apply to citizens under eighteen, and that teenagers don't have the right to privacy. I've seen people who are going to be teaching as early as the beginning of 2008 cackling at the accents of students from Kentucky, and when I stood up to one of them, saying "I suppose if you had that student in your class, you'd be laughing in his face all year", the answer I got was a shrug and a "yes".
You might say these are isolated examples. Well, they are – but the people discussed above represent nearly half of next year's graduates in the Secondary Social Studies Education program, as well as a few people in other education programs I happen to have interacted with. To put it bluntly, my university is going to send a large number of new teachers into the world next year who are unintelligent, disrespectful of their students, unbelievably biased in their teaching, or all three at once. And a number of the rest will simply fall into the current and let it happen.
How's that for a horror story?
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Since you are a little off subject, can I enquire regarding
the study of education? My son
recently started substitute teaching and loves it: in a couple months, he's done everything from
5th grade, Jr High, HS and a ton of
subjects. He was told he needed to be certified to get on as a regular. What type and how many courses would that take?..he has a
BA in History/Foreign language at present.
the study of education? My son
recently started substitute teaching and loves it: in a couple months, he's done everything from
5th grade, Jr High, HS and a ton of
subjects. He was told he needed to be certified to get on as a regular. What type and how many courses would that take?..he has a
BA in History/Foreign language at present.
That is truly a real life horror story, JB! Much scarier than anything Hollywood can dream up. Makes me glad my kids are all out of school, but I fear for the future of this country!
BB - the requirements vary state to state, I'm afraid. Most likely he would have to enter a postbac program to get a Bachelor of Education or a BA in Education (depending on the school), which I think would take either one or two years as a full-time student. But really, he'd have to decide where he wanted to qualify first and go from there. In some states (unfortunately), it's as easy as taking a test.
Also off topic here, JB. I left an answer to your question regarding placing your hand over your heart while saying the pledge or while singing the National Anthem. To save you the trouble of going back to my blog, here's the answer:
"Well JB, you put your right hand over the left side of your chest. It's not exactly anatomically correct because that's not actually where the human heart is located, but it's symbolic of placing your hand over your heart, and a lot more comfortable than trying to place your hand in the middle of your chest, especially for us ladies! LOL!"
The fact that Obama doesn't do that and knows darn well it's disrespectful not to, says volumes about the man.
You may want to delete this comment as it's entirely off topic. I would have e-mailed you but don't have your e-mail address.
Blessings!
"Well JB, you put your right hand over the left side of your chest. It's not exactly anatomically correct because that's not actually where the human heart is located, but it's symbolic of placing your hand over your heart, and a lot more comfortable than trying to place your hand in the middle of your chest, especially for us ladies! LOL!"
The fact that Obama doesn't do that and knows darn well it's disrespectful not to, says volumes about the man.
You may want to delete this comment as it's entirely off topic. I would have e-mailed you but don't have your e-mail address.
Blessings!
Hi, Lt. Col. William Russell of Johnstown, PA, is conducting a ferocious campaign with the goal of sending Cong. John Murtha into retirement. You can learn more about William and offer him your encouragement by visiting his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com. I hope you and your readers will do everything you can to help this American soldier win. I've met William, and he's an outstanding invidivual. On 9/11, William and his wife were in the Pentagon when the terrorists struck. Also on 9/11, Rep. Murtha was in his "Murtha's Corner" in the House, cutting political deals. One of these gentlemen truly deserves to be in Congress, and it isn't John Murtha. Please visit William's site and offer your support to him. Ask the same of people on your e-mail list. Thanks for your help.
steve maloney
ambridge, pa
P.S. I've written several pieces recently on Russell at: http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com
steve maloney
ambridge, pa
P.S. I've written several pieces recently on Russell at: http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com
Luckily I've had some good teachers. But I've had some that aren't so good, and I can't understand how they're hired.
JB,
While we are on the subject of the education of teachers, what's your take on home schooling..in light of all the requirements to be a teacher and the professionalism and love of learning most teachers possess?
While I suspect the students at
public, private or home vary in their abilities and experiences, it seems teachers have been knocked about rather roughly the
last few years. Fair or not?
While we are on the subject of the education of teachers, what's your take on home schooling..in light of all the requirements to be a teacher and the professionalism and love of learning most teachers possess?
While I suspect the students at
public, private or home vary in their abilities and experiences, it seems teachers have been knocked about rather roughly the
last few years. Fair or not?
Home schooling is a tricky question. I don't have a problem with it in principle, but there are some parents who do it who are unfortunately too busy or too dumb to do it properly.
Teachers are "knocked about", as you say, quite a bit - in my mind, in recent years, teachers have been attacked for many things they don't deserve to be attacked for and let slide on things they shouldn't be let slide on. For instance, every teacher is now suspect because of all we hear about the one-in-a-million cases in which something inappropriate goes on with a student, while the number of teachers who are allowed to behave as I've described above is unbelievable.
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Teachers are "knocked about", as you say, quite a bit - in my mind, in recent years, teachers have been attacked for many things they don't deserve to be attacked for and let slide on things they shouldn't be let slide on. For instance, every teacher is now suspect because of all we hear about the one-in-a-million cases in which something inappropriate goes on with a student, while the number of teachers who are allowed to behave as I've described above is unbelievable.
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